- Paperback: 158 pages
- Publisher: Donington Press Ltd., Inc. (Aug 8 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0966053699
- ISBN-13: 978-0966053692
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.3 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Referring to the animal kingdom in this confident debut, neuroscientist and venture capitalist Glass reduces human behavior into the bio-behavioral imperatives of claiming territory, establishing social dominance and sexual mating. Presenting his work as both groundbreaking theory and a self-help guide, Glass attempts to demonstrate how virtually every decision we make and every thought we have, however pragmatic or spiritual, is rooted in a group of biological imperatives that are hardwired in our essentially animal brains. According to the author's model, we seek to expand and protect our territory, and to continue our genetic line and secure a position within the "pack"; what's left is, for the most part, intellectualized small talk. We believe in God, Glass maintains, "in order to have a way in which we can act out our supplicant behaviors (prayer) to a symbol (God) of the forces that exact control over our lives." While Glass argues well for his theories, readers may balk at his reductionism, and at assertions like this: "The mid-life crisis is simply a middle-aged adult's realization that their dreams of dominance when they began their careers some 15 years earlier will never be achieved. When we make a mid-life career change for whatever complex and rational reasons, we are simply looking for another arena in which to try once again to become leader of the pack." Glass, who switched careers from neuroscience to venture capitalism, may be drawing on his own experience here, but he neglects to discuss properly mid-life stories in which people who have achieved great success suddenly find that success shallow. In addition, Glass fails to consider fully the intriguing question of how adoption of his thesis could transform not only our emotional well-being, but society as a whole.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
The Animal Within Us gives us a comprehensive, comparative insight of how similar the animal and human are. A wonderful and at times terrifying thought. -- Tippi Hedren
A refreshing, delightful approach to what drives the species from a distillation of psychology, neuropsychology, and business world experience. -- Richard Weddige, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center
This is a well written and researched book. It will help the inquiring mind to better understand our place in nature and it sheds light on the origins of certain primitive emotions that can lead to action. -- Jane Goodall, Ph.D. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
A refreshing, delightful approach to what drives the species from a distillation of psychology, neuropsychology, and business world experience. -- Richard Weddige, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center
This is a well written and researched book. It will help the inquiring mind to better understand our place in nature and it sheds light on the origins of certain primitive emotions that can lead to action. -- Jane Goodall, Ph.D. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
a good starter book,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Animal Within Us: Lessons about Life from Our Animal Ancestors (Paperback)
true, that the author makes some vague and undefined statements (ie "humans have a soul...animals do not"), but the discerning reader can see through that and still find value in the book. i almost put the book down after a few chapters because of statements like those, but i'm glad i pressed on. the second half of the book was much more insightful. this book would be of little value to those already well-read on the subject, but i think it's a good book for those just starting out in evolutionary psychology study.
2.0 out of 5 stars
uninsightful,
By
This review is from: The Animal Within Us: Lessons about Life from Out Animal Ancestors (Hardcover)
I agree with almost everything he has to say, but it is all painfully obvious. I keep notes of what I learn when I read a (non-fiction) book. Usually it is difficult to summarize what I learn down to a few pages. In this case, 10 lines did it. I guess this book would be worth while to somebody if it caused them to realize that emotion and underlying human goals have arisen only because they were evolutionarily beneficial, but Selfish Gene is a much more succinct source for that lesson.It very much annoys me that he complicates arguments by running in circles and never stating the conclusion in simple terms. For example, he never comes out and answers the questions about the souls of animals, etc. He gives several examples showing that animals do not differ from humans at all, but never concludes the argument. I kept waiting for him to take it up again or summarize, but he doesn't. Early on, he explains the trivial fact that stereotyping is misleading when dealing with bell curve shaped data. A few chapters later, he stereo-types away. His definitions are short sighted and dishonestly honed for his specific argument. For example, he says that every human being in the world has 5 fingers on each hand. Untrue. I know of people who have been born deformed with four fingers, and I know sombody that has lost one finger. These people are still human. It really surprised me that somebody with his credentials is so naive. He read some artsy-fartsy book about some art society. The author of this book made a very overt analogy to animal societies (e.g., these artists struggled for dominance, etc.). Glass was blown away by this. It is funny that the author of this other book understood that humans share many emotions and drives with animals, and casually used it to enliven his fiction. Glass is blown away by this obvious phenomenon (20 years later) and feels obligated to share what he obviously thinks is a revolutionary discovery.
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I've ever read!,
By giacometti@earthlink.net (Manhattan Beach, California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Animal Within Us: Lessons about Life from Our Animal Ancestors (Paperback)
This book will challenge many people's basic beliefs about who we are and where we came from. It is not enough to say that man evolved from lower forms of life. Dr. Glass goes beyond that to explain how and why evolution molded our very behavior and that the behavior passed down to us from our animal ancestors was necessary for our very survival. He relates human behavior to Jane Goodall's work with Chimpanzees (amoung others) and makes a compelling case for how our behaviors are inherited from and connected to our animal ancestors. I couldn't put the book down!
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